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Malcolm 
I disagree.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 27168
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: May 05 2013,09:59 |
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Trying to lecture physicists to "ditch the jargon." Because quantum theory and relativity can all be explained with monosyllabic words to everyone beyond the age of ten.
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Diogenes of Sinope:
"It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
"Other dogs bite only their enemies, whereas I bite also my friends in order to save them."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC:
"Better dead than smeg."
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| Post Number: 2
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Leisher
Top 3%, yo.
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 26651
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: May 05 2013,18:24 |
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Alan Alda is my first memory of an actor using his show to push his political agenda. I think I remember it, not only because he was so blatant about it, but because I really liked the first two years of MASH (when it was funny). I think I've always harbored a bit of a grudge against him because I think he turned something funny into something the opposite of funny. He removed as escape for people from their day, and replaced it with more bullshit.
That all being said, I'm ok with his message here. I think he's simply trying to make science more accessible to the masses. I don't think he's saying to dump all the established language, just to speak to your audience.
Being in IT, this is probably the biggest complaint I hear from non-tech folks. They're interested in what we have to say, but once we get talking, we lose them because we make assumptions about their knowledge, or we forget our audience.
Making science more accessible to a broader audience cannot be a bad thing.
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| Post Number: 3
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Malcolm
I disagree.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 27168
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: May 06 2013,07:04 |
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QUOTE Making science more accessible to a broader audience cannot be a bad thing.
If "more accessible" means "watering things down," then no. That's like the old Star Trek episodes where they jabber about meaningless technobabble for a five minutes, and then someone conveniently summarizes it with a dumb-ass 20th century analogy. Sometimes there are no nice ways to break a complex concept down into one or more simpler ones your audience already knows about.  The more your broaden your audience, the less specific and descriptive you get to be, because some motherfuckers get confused.
Edited by Malcolm on May 06 2013,07:06
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Diogenes of Sinope:
"It is not that I am mad, it is only that my head is different from yours."
"Other dogs bite only their enemies, whereas I bite also my friends in order to save them."
Arnold Judas Rimmer, BSC, SSC:
"Better dead than smeg."
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| Post Number: 4
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TPRJones
I saw The Fault in our Stars opening night.
Group: Privateers
Posts: 12384
Joined: May 2004
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Posted on: May 06 2013,07:17 |
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Yeah, he's not wrong. Especially when talking on camera or to Congress, lots of scientists of the bullshit-artist variety retreat into slinging jargon thick and fast to make their work sound important. I guess the assumption is that if the stupid masses could understand it then it must not be all that important, and maybe shouldn't be funded anymore.
Not that some jargon isn't necessary in certain advanced fields. But there's certainly way more than is necessary in almost every field.
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Vidi Perfutui Veni
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| Post Number: 5
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GORDON
90%
Group: Super Administrators
Posts: 36125
Joined: Jun. 2004
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Posted on: May 06 2013,07:23 |
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This seems like a silly thing to crusade for, or whatever he is doing.
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I don't give a fuck!
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